To connect an electronic unit with a cable, to the end of which a plug is connected, to a printed circuit board, various contacting devices are known. If different types of plugs or the individual leads of the cable are to be connected directly, a corresponding multiway-design of connector is required on the printed circuit board.
When connecting a telecommunication system to the public telephone network it may be necessary, depending on local conditions, to form the connection by means of a type RJ-45 or by a screw terminal where the individual leads of the connecting cable are connected directly to the contact surfaces of the printed circuit board. In this case, an RJ-45 and a screw terminal must be provided on the printed circuit board. Moreover, it is often the case that with an ISDN communication system the connection between an SO port (digital exchange connection) and an external SO bus has to be reconfigured on site. To do so, two of the four connecting leads have to be crossed. The crossing takes place by means of a multiway connector provided on the printed circuit board or by manually reconfiguring the relevant contacting devices on site. The embodiment of the printed circuit board as a multiway connector of which only a certain part is actually used for the connection is expensive. The manual reconfiguring of the system on site can lead to faults.